American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Krop
2018 IL 122556 (IL. 2018)Words & Phrases
Agent Broker: Statute Of LimitationsAppellate Judge
GarmanHolding
Accrual of statute of limitations for broker negligence is when customer receives the policy.Fact Summary
When customers allege that their insurance company negligently sold them a deficient insurance policy, section 13-214.4 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code) gives those customers a two-year deadline to file any lawsuits. 735 ILCS 5/13-214.4 (West 2014). In this case we are asked to determine when the cause of action accrues in such cases. American Family Mutual Insurance Company (American Family) filed a declaratory judgment action against Walter and Lisa Krop, contending their homeowner’s insurance policy did not cover a tort action pending against their son. The Krops filed a counterclaim against American Family and a third-party claim against Andrew Varga, an insurance agent for American Family. Varga argued at the circuit court that the cause of action for negligently selling a deficient policy accrues as soon as customers purchase their policy. The Krops claimed that the cause of action does not accrue until the insurer refuses to provide coverage. Agreeing with Varga, the circuit court dismissed the Krops’ claims against Varga and American Family as untimely. The appellate court reversed. 2017 IL App (1st) 161071. Varga petitioned for leave to appeal, and we allowed the petition. Ill. S. Ct. R. 315(a) (eff. Mar. 15, 2016).
We hold that when customers have the opportunity to read their insurance policy and can reasonably be expected to understand its terms, the cause of action for negligent failure to procure insurance accrues as soon as the customers receive the policy. Here the Krops filed their complaint over two years after they received their American Family policy, and they did not plead facts that would support any recognized exception to the expectation that customers will read the policy and understand its terms, so their claim was untimely. We reverse the appellate court’s decision.
Theis and Kilbride, dissent